Shockproof parachute harness



Dec. 7, 1943. STRONG. 2,336,312

SHOCKPROOF PARACHUTE HARNESS Filed Aug. 15, 1940 5 lnvsntuz- Ja 77155 H.5tr'ung @ZW WM 72 is An ar n'eys Patented Dec. 7, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOCKPROOF PARACHUTE HARNESS James H. Strong, Windsor, N. J.

Application August 13, 1940, Serial No. 352,445

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the harness worn by parachute jumpers to which the parachute is attached whereby the jumper is suspended from the parachute after the latter has opened in the air, and the object of the invention is to utilize resilient members of the harness to reduce the shock upon the jumper when the parachute first opens after the jumper drops from the airplane or balloon which brought him off the ground.

Parachutes of the pack type designed to be worn upon the back of the user, or upon which the user sits when in the aircraft, are connected to the portions of the harness which encircle the body of the user and support his weight in the air by risers or lift webs, to the free ends of which the parachute shrouds are attached. My invention contemplates the utilization of ruboer or other resilient material for a portion of the lift webs and consists in the adaptation of such material to known types of harness, and in the details of construction hereinafter described.

Further aims and characteristics of the invention appear in connection with the following description of the illustrative embodiment shown in the drawing, and what the invention comprises is stated in the appended claims.

In the drawing,

Figs. 1 and 2 are respectively a front view and a back view of a parachute harness embodying the invention in the position in which it is worn, showing it detached from the parachute;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the upper part of the harness, drawn to a larger scale, showing the parachute pack in position on the back pad of the harness;

Figs. 4, and 6 are enlarged views of the resilient shock relieving sections, Fig. 4 being a crosssection on the line 44 in Fig. 5, Fig. 5 being a cross-section on the line 55 in Fig. 6, and Fig. 6 being a cross-section on the line 66 in Figs. 5, respectively, and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged cross-section of one of the fittings for connecting the body strap with the lift web loops.

In the standard military parachute, the harness which supports the user in the air comprises lift webs or risers which are made of two webbing strips arranged parallel to each other and which pass around the body of the user when wearing the harness over his shoulders to connect with the parachute on his back or thereabouts in the normal wearing position. These lift webs support him in a sitting position from the opened parachute trailing above during the descent. Usually a pad is placed on the users back to which the lift webs are loosely connected by cloth or leather clips fitted with snap fasteners or other quick detachable means to permit them to be jerked loose when the parachute opens. Thus the shock on the user when the parachute opens is severe, and the consequences sometimes are serious.

In the improved harness shown in the drawing, the lift webs ll, although they are continuous around the lower end of the users body, are each provided on each side in front of the wearers shoulders with loop portions i2 (see Fig. 3) which are connected to upper and lower links l3, M by strips !5, and are doubled back around the users shoulders to be out of the way in normal wearing position. These upper and lower links it, it, are also connected to each other by extensible shock absorbing members it. In the harness illustrated, these shock absorbing members iii are rubber cords, three each being used for each run of the lift web, and they are looped at their ends over the adjacent branches of the links it, i l and secured by lashings H, as shown in Fig. 6. These rubber cords are advantageously covered by a tubular fabric housing it, made of waterproof cloth and closed along one longitudinal side by a talon fastener 9 of the well known zipper type.

A fabric tie 29, secured by a snap fastener 2i holds the adjacent exposed loop iii to the rear side of the housing I 8 in wearing position. Similar fastenings 22, 23 are provided for loosely securing the loops I2 and lift webs H to the back pad 2 beneath the parachute pack 25. These fastenings readily break loose to free the loops when the shock of opening the parachute comes on the lift webs, stretching the resilient members it, and the length of the loops is made adequate to suit the maximum extension of the members it, so that no shock comes upon the wearer. These resilient members [5 pull out of the ends of their covers l8 readily without loosening the talons It and the loops l2 are entirely free to accommodate whatever movements the ends of the resilient members assume under the force exerted by the parachute upon the lift webs. Should either of these members It break on the opening of the parachute, the weight of the user would be sustained by the loop portions I 2 of the lift webs.

The back pad 24 and leg loop straps 26, 21, are secured in place on the wearer by means of two body straps 28, one of which has a D link 29 to receive the snap hook 30 on the leg strap 26, and the other of which has a snap hook iii to engage the D link 32 on the leg strap 21. The body straps are secured near each end to the adjacent run of the lift webs l I, passing between the two parallel webs and around behind the back of the wearer outside of the back pad and crossing in the upper middle of the back as shown in Fig. 2, continuing over the wearers shoulders and down along the under sides of the adjacent loops I2 of the lift webs to which each is loosely secured by passing between them, the webs being secured together above and below the body straps, as shown in Fig. l, and the adjacent overlapping ends of the body straps pass around the weareris waist and are loosely secured to the outer side of the back pad near its lower end by a fabric loop 33. Similar loops 34 secure the body straps to the back pad where they cross near the topof the pad, the two portions of the straps whichcross being loosely secured together by loops -35 secured thereto, as shown in Fig. 2.

A snap hook 35 and D link 31 are run on each body strap 28 on each side in front near the waist line for hooking these two parts together to form a belt around the waist of the wearer. The body straps .are .also adjustably secured .to the loops '12 near their lower e d in front by cross bar'links 38, as shown in Figs. 3 a nd 7 thus enabling the position of the looped lift webs and resilient vmembers [6 to be adjusted up and down on the chest of the wearer to suit different individuals. The length of each body strap as a whole make likewise be adjusted to suit the ,wearer by taking in L or letting out the overlapping waist'sections 39 by m e ef h e ihetehle e e h r ek e lt which their ends are secured.

The ends of the lift websor risers .;I l are fitted with 1;) links 4| and are passed into the pack 25, Where th e ehh e to th h iehd i the u a nne n h P -@91 2 5 0 9 9111 Shrouds e e f l d ht h p e whi h i ar d d w t hi 41 1 4 d ee 9f ehrehitehl type.

Readily detachable means may be provided for securing the pack to the pack pad, such as the fabric ie .43 o i ed wi h snap a ten r as s o i i 3- Tlh h ek eleee f ie tripped by a c 4. na les the ,Rereehh e t b f e f o the Pae es i u he in h s yp O parachute. The resilient members in the lift webs in no way interfere withthe norrna;l operation of opening the packed parachute.

The action of the harness is the same as that of the standard harness excepting that there is noshock upon the user when the parachuteopens, due to the stretching of the rubber cords, and

. the easy action eliminates bruises and sprains not unusual with the standard harness, thereby enabling parachutes to be used for regular air transportation in addition to emergency landings.

The invention is not restricted to the details of construction illustrated, but what is claimed is as follows:

1. A parachute harness comprising lift webs connected to the parachute shrouds, parallel loops in said lift webs, and resilient shock absorbing members extending along said loops and connecting the points of attachment of said loops to said lift webs, said resilient members being disposed in the portions of the harness overlying the chest of the wearer, and detachable fastenings securing said resilient members to the adjacent harness portions, respectively, whereby said resilient members are released from said harness under the stress due to opening the parachute in the normal operation of the apparatus.

2. A parachute harness comprising lift webs connected to the parachute shrouds, parallel loops .said lift webs, and resilient shock absorbing members extending along said loops and connecting the points of attachment of said loops to said lift Webs, said loops being doubled and folded back on the lift webs over the shoulders of the wearer, and detachable fastenings securing said doubled back loop portions to the lift webs on the back of the wearer, respectively, whereby said lift webs are secured in normal position and are free to assume full extended position upon the opening of the parachute to which said shrouds e e PI EG Qdi 1 pe ee e hardne s 9 1 Wit a peeke er ehh eerri d beh d t W er h lift webs passing from behind over the Wearers shoul- 51 2 nd h s eei li eb havi 'e a11e1 loop -PQ .Q dpl blhd hec s l Q th WQa shoulders ven de eehabwe eu e h eslieeen heeh portions o th ha ne s aha es li n m mb r c .le l n th th sa 1 re t eh ex n ing a o said line, and connecting the ends thereof ,and eh pe ed i f i h Q t wea e 's h n a arachute-ha n for use Wi h a k parachute carried behind the wearer, lift webs passing from behind over the wearers shoulders and chest, said lift webs having loop portions doubled back over the wearers shoulders, and resilient members of less length than said loop portions connecting the ends thereof and disposed in front .of the wearers chest, said resilient members being protected by tubular fabric housings loosely secured to said-loop portions and open at the end to permit said resilient members to be withdrawn therefrom.

JAMES H. STRONG. 

